I have made several hundred purchases on Ebay and would like to share helpful tips to make your Ebay experience a success!

Always check a buyers feedback.  I will not purchase from anyone with less that a 99% feedback. If you are really interested in an item from someone with less than perfect feedback, click on the member name and read about the neutral or negative feedback.

I try to always use buyers who will accept PayPal. Then you have a receipt, and alot of sellers who use paypal, also create shipping labels through PayPal, which give you a tracking number. PayPal also offers a dispute console, simple to use, for items not received.

I have purchased from people who only accept Money Orders, but I consider it a risk. If you have a problem you will find that there is a $5 to $10 fee to track the money order, and will take atleast a month to track.

Watch carefully on shipping costs. Some people will not even list a shipping cost. You may think you are getting a good deal, but after you receive a hugh shipping bill, you didn't get such a good deal. If they don't list a shipping price or calculator, contact the seller to see what charges will be involved BEFORE bidding.

Keep communication open with your seller. They will usually be very responsive on letting you know when you item ships. I find this very helpful.

Last, but not least, if purchasing VHS or DVD, make sure they are not copies. It is against Ebay policies for sellers to sell reproductions or commonly referred to as BOOTLEG copies of these items. Make sure to read through the item description carefully.

99% of all sellers are very responsible and will list their items accurately, unfortanatley, there are a few bad ones. If you follow these guidelines, I think you will find a great experience on Ebay.